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Is this not a deeply cynical reason to go to an Ivy league school? Recruiters target those schools so you get a job that will allow you to make more money, and

Is this not a deeply cynical reason to go to an Ivy league school? Recruiters target those schools so you get a job that will allow you to make more money, and simply because you get access to better connected people (again to make more money)? It's not about the quality of education at all, then.

kerzs 3y ago
I would not say it's not about the quality of education at all - it's not hugely better than state universities but definitely not worse. I firmly believe I could not have received a better education anywhere else (except maybe even better institutions like MIT or Stanford). As an individual, my decision then is: do I want to choose a place that sets me up for a high paying job and with connections I can rely on for life, and does not take my money for it, while also not having any downsides (that I can see) compared to a state university? Choosing a school for these reasons seems like the most rational choice anyone could make in that scenario. Please correct me if I am misunderstanding your argument.
- noslenwerdna 3y ago
  I think at an individual level it is logical to make the choice to go to an ivy if you have the chance. But ivy league schools don't present themselves as just a networking opportunity. They present themselves as a way to get a much higher quality education than other universities (and this is why you should hire their alumni). It would be more honest to present themselves as a marginally better education experience, and also a place where powerful people send their children, thus allowing better networking. As a society, it doesn't make sense to put that much weight behind the ivy stamp on your resume, if the education is the same as a flagship state school.
  - kerzs 3y ago
    I agree completely; the fact that so much weight is put behind the school reputation is a symptom of a deep societal issue.
jjk166 3y ago
Nearly every school will give you a quality education, but elite schools will allow you to put that education to better use. There's nothing cynical about thinking of your education as an investment you'd want to optimize, indeed many people suffer for years because they spent way more on an education than they actually valued it.
hirvi74 3y ago
> It's not about the quality of education at all, then. As the saying goes, "It ain't the grades you make, but the hands you shake."
bombcar 3y ago
It's literally the main reason to go. It's most explicit in the MBA schools, where the admissions office of various schools would tell me "we're great if you're going for this area, or live in this area, otherwise we recommend another school". The MBA teaching is almost the same everywhere, what you learn - but the whole value is who you meet.

kerzs 3y ago

I would not say it's not about the quality of education at all - it's not hugely better than state universities but definitely not worse. I firmly believe I could not have received a better education anywhere else (except maybe even better institutions like MIT or Stanford). As an individual, my decision then is: do I want to choose a place that sets me up for a high paying job and with connections I can rely on for life, and does not take my money for it, while also not having any downsides (that I can see) compared to a state university? Choosing a school for these reasons seems like the most rational choice anyone could make in that scenario. Please correct me if I am misunderstanding your argument.

noslenwerdna 3y ago
I think at an individual level it is logical to make the choice to go to an ivy if you have the chance. But ivy league schools don't present themselves as just a networking opportunity. They present themselves as a way to get a much higher quality education than other universities (and this is why you should hire their alumni). It would be more honest to present themselves as a marginally better education experience, and also a place where powerful people send their children, thus allowing better networking. As a society, it doesn't make sense to put that much weight behind the ivy stamp on your resume, if the education is the same as a flagship state school.
- kerzs 3y ago
  I agree completely; the fact that so much weight is put behind the school reputation is a symptom of a deep societal issue.

jjk166 3y ago

Nearly every school will give you a quality education, but elite schools will allow you to put that education to better use. There's nothing cynical about thinking of your education as an investment you'd want to optimize, indeed many people suffer for years because they spent way more on an education than they actually valued it.

hirvi74 3y ago

> It's not about the quality of education at all, then. As the saying goes, "It ain't the grades you make, but the hands you shake."

bombcar 3y ago

It's literally the main reason to go. It's most explicit in the MBA schools, where the admissions office of various schools would tell me "we're great if you're going for this area, or live in this area, otherwise we recommend another school". The MBA teaching is almost the same everywhere, what you learn - but the whole value is who you meet.